Things that got Left Out

"Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much, in every way." 

Romans 3:1-2a

This was one of those Sundays when, earlier in the week, I was totally convinced God wanted me to preach about one thing, but by the end of the week the sermon ended up being about something else.

Not entirely though.

So during the application portion of the sermon I spoke briefly about the challenge of putting your hope in a God who can seem so inefficient at times. But what I didn't mention was that the whole sermon almost ended up being titled "The Inefficient God." The beginning of Paul's diatribe during the first part of this chapter fascinated me that much. What indeed was God thinking when he first set apart the Jews as his people, called them to trust completely in him and obey his commandments, but then moved so quickly to call the Gentiles as well, not even requiring them to follow the most basic of his commandments in order to be his people? Leaders that switch directions like that can be hard to put your full trust in.

While Gentiles like me might be grateful that God isn't looking for us to bring him grain offerings in order to be accepted by him, a similarity nonetheless exists between us and those to whom Paul was speaking. Probably the easiest with which to draw a comparison is the modern church: though we certainly do our best to lead Christ's body in wise ways, leaders of the church often go one direction, then move in a new direction so quickly that much of the old progress seems wasted. Or we spend all of this time and energy trying to train and raise up leaders, and then end up using only a fraction of the training or the leaders. These are just two examples.

This inefficiency applies individually as well, and perhaps this is where it hits home the most for us. How often has progress in our own lives or in the lives of those close to us seemed a laughable concept? Especially for those who have left behind the artificial college advancement ladder or for whom the rush of career or entrepreneurial advancement has already gotten old, it's easy to feel like we're not going anywhere. And this applies to more than just our resumes: our friendships, our issues, perhaps especially our relationships with God all seem like they're stuck. One more retreat, one more conference doesn't seem like it's really going to make any lasting change in our lives. One more hour of prayer or reading the Bible doesn't seem like it's going to help you get out of that rut in which you've been.

But this is not so. I once heard a wise Christian say something along the lines of, "The most godly characteristic of the Korean people is that they don't waste anything." Just as God had a purpose for circumcision and the setting apart of his people, the Jews, so he has a purpose for everything in our lives too. When you put your hope in God, there is no such thing as a step backwards. Even when we move backwards spiritually, inside of us deep tensions are increased, cracks in our facades are widened, and breakthroughs are just moments away.

Even when we "look at the big picture" we have a pretty small view of what's really going on. The truth is what we might call God's inefficiency couldn't be more misnamed. No day, prayer, or tear is wasted with God, which is why we can -in fact, must (since this can be said about no one else)- put our hope in him.